Black Mold Issues
Typically there are many different types of mold found within the home. None are necessarily good for you to be exposed to as they tend to exacerbate allergies, create odors, and sometimes damage the areas that they’re growing on. One type is especially dangerous. It is known as stachybotrys chartarum or stachy for short And it is dangerous to your health. The more it is studied in fact in the more that we learn about it the worse it seems.
Like mold that grows in the shower black mold likes areas that are wet. The difference is that typically for black mold to grow the area must remain wet for a much longer period of time usually anywhere from 10 to 14 days. So if you discover black mold growing in your home there is a secondary issue that is occurring that you are probably not aware of. This could be an ongoing moisture problems due to high levels of humidity, a slow pipe leak or condensation drip, or some other type of Water source that provides an ongoing level Of moisture. In all cases this has to be fixed before the black mold is addressed.
There are many health issues associated with black mold including lung infections, skin infections, issues with your brain, your lungs, your heart and more. This is not the type of mold that you want to be exposed to on an ongoing basis. Cleanup as well must be handled by a professional in the majority of cases because the stuff is just so damn toxic. There are instances of people going into anaphylactic shock and actually dying from exposure to this type of mold. If you have this type of mold growing in your home for your workplace your needlessly exposing yourself your family or your employees to a toxic substance that can do a lot of long-term damage to the human body.
As mentioned previously cleanup of mold starts with determining where the moisture source is occurring and fixing that first. Once you eliminate the moisture is then time to eliminate the mold. The best way to do that is through a process that is recommended by the I ICRC includes putting the area under negative pressure so that the spores do not spread throughout the home, making sure that the area undergoing cleanup remains under negative pressure for the duration of the cleanup which is accomplished by setting up containment chamber and then some type of exhaust through use of air movers or blowers. Is best to log type of process to ensure that the encapsulated area remains under negative pressure for the duration. Once the area has been closed off from the remaining area of the house and is being exhausted the exterior work can begin on removal. This is a process again that is approved by the I ICRC and is considered best management practices for the removal of mold. This may include the use of HEPA vacuums, taping over and cutting out substrate such as sheet rock, use of disinfectants and sterilizing agents to sanitize any areas where the mold Is present or in some cases even ice blasting for sandblasting to reproduce the area of mold that is present on beams and other areas that cannot be cleaned properly.
If there is a large area of black mold in some cases it may be recommendable to call an indoor environmental professional to oversee the operation. The IEP course must be independent of the remediation company so there is no conflict of interest. Typically the benefits of hiring an IEP outweigh the cost of the remediation project.
